The decree didn’t contain anything important: it just sang praises that Jiang Yi had won honor for the Divine Martial Kingdom, and Jiang Yi was the kingdom’s pride. The last sentence was the most important point… which was for Jiang Yi to enter the royal palace earlier in the morning and that the King had personally summoned him.
Xia Wuhui put on a great outward appearance and always had a smile on his face. He cordially interacted with everyone, even though Jiang Yi and Zhan Wushuang had killed dozens of their royal clansmen. His heart might have desired for Jiang Yi to be chopped into pieces, but his conversations gave people the feeling of comfort and cheerfulness—without any traces of antipathy and hatred. He was indeed worthy to be the Crown Prince who distinguished himself above all the other princes in the Divine Martial Kingdom.
There was a group of royal officials and generals behind Xia Wuhui. Jiang Yi might not know anyone of them, but these people also had praises coming out from their mouth. Jiang Yi didn’t speak much, but he could be putting on an indifferent expression. Hence, he had no choice but give unsophisticated responses when people were smiling at him. Principal Qi, Qian Wanguan, and Zhan Wushuang had dealt with such situations plenty of times and weren’t awkward during this occasion.
After exchanging their conventional greetings, the Crown Prince led Principal Qi and the others into the palace. He originally invited Jiang Yi along but was tactfully rejected by him; hence, Jiang Yi and the others boarded the carriage and went back to the Hidden Dragon Pavilion.
“Boss!”
Before the seat could even get warm, Qian Wanguan rushed in and gave Jiang Yi a piece of very bad news. Jiang Bieli had just arrived in the royal capital. He didn’t ride on the ancient divine war chariot this time; instead, he teleported in with a group of people in a grandiose manner and immediately entered the royal palace.
When Jiang Yi heard this news, the edges of his mouth were filled with mockery as he remained silent and entered his room to sleep. After trying to decipher the Nameless Divine Art for an entire night, he didn’t even have time to take a rest.
When Jiang Yi woke up in the afternoon, Qian Wanguan brought another piece of very bad news. He didn’t want to say it, but this matter had already been disseminated all over the royal capital and couldn’t be concealed anymore.
The Crown Prince and Su Ruoxue’s wedding was to be held in a month’s time. The army for the bride’s escort would depart tomorrow and head to the Great Xia Kingdom to fetch the bride.
Even though Jiang Yi knew that this matter couldn’t be reversed anymore, he still felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable when he heard this news. He had tried many times to forget this lady named Su Ruoxue, but at this moment, he felt as though his heart had been slashed by blades while all kinds of sensations and feelings were tumbling in his heart.
“Go help me find the refinement method for the celestial stone!”
Jiang Yi waved his hand, and Qian Wanguan knew what it meant. Jiang Yi wanted to use cultivation to forget all his sorrows and use grief as a motivation, doing his best to charge to the higher place in the martial dao realm.
The method of refining the celestial stone was quickly found. Qian Clan might not have any celestial stones, but all great aristocratic clans had the method on how to refine it. Jiang Yi took a quick read and understood it, but he didn’t recklessly start refining it. Once the refinement of the celestial stone began, it couldn’t be stopped; and it would take at least ten days to fully refine a single celestial stone.
Jiang Yi didn’t go drinking; neither did he cultivate. He continued to decipher the third rank of the Nameless Divine art, secluded in his room. The strange thing was—after an entire night, he still didn’t have any idea at all. Jiang Yi felt that this chanting of the third rank was just like heavenly writing.
The next day, Jiang Yi got up early in the morning while Qian Wanguan got up early, too, to give Jiang Yi some instructions on the etiquette when in the palace and also things to take note of. This time, it was an official royal hearing; and the Divine Martial Kingdom’s Lord had asked him for an audience. If something was messed up, it would definitely be detrimental for Jiang Yi’s future development.
Jiang Yi didn’t really bother about it; he wasn’t even interested in the Dragon Fang General title that the Divine Martial Kingdom was going to grant him. If he was to become a Divine Martial Kingdom’s general, he would be serving the royal clan as an official that was under Jiang Bieli’s command, which seriously dissatisfied Jiang Yi. Of course, there were also Xia Wuhui, Xia Tian and others—causing Jiang Yi to not have a single preferential impression of the royal clan.
A squadron of Royal Military had been waiting outside since morning, beside a carriage that was parked outside the Hidden Dragon Pavilion that had the flag of the Divine Martial Kingdom. Once Jiang Yi walked out, the Royal Military all knelt and greeted, “Greetings, my Lord.”
“My Lord…”
Jiang Yi rubbed his nose. He had yet to be titled as the Dragon Fang General, but this group of Royal Military already started to greet him with military etiquette. Being called a lord at the young age of 16 surely felt weird.
After bidding goodbye to Qian Wanguan and the others, Jiang Yi boarded the carriage and headed towards the royal palace.
With the Royal Military ushering the traffic, the journey didn’t have any obstructions; and Jiang Yi quickly entered the royal palace before finally stopping by a side palace hall. One of the Royal Military team leaders informed him: “There is still a little time. Could my Lord please take a rest here first?”
Jiang Yi alighted the carriage and gave a strange look at this side palace hall. He might have obtained the no.1 rank in the Kingdom War and might be highly regarded by the Divine Martial Kingdom’s royal clan, but it wouldn’t be to this extent, right? Not only was he invited to arrive earlier, but he was given a side palace hall to rest in? Qian Wanguan mentioned that he might have to wait outside the grand palace hall and wait for the King’s summons to enter.
Since he was here, he might as well go with the flow.
Jiang Yi walked in slowly; when he saw a few palace maids kneeling by the side and welcomed him, he felt suspicious. Once he entered the side palace hall, the suspicion in his heart had been relieved because there was a man standing in the side palace hall.
With a tiger’s back and bear’s waist, Jiang Yi could see a back view of a man with a presence that caused suffocation.
This man was more than two meters tall and wore a refined scholar’s robe, but anyone who saw him wouldn’t think he was a scholar that wasn’t accustomed to physical work. Instead, he gave off a feeling of an invincible martial expert—so strong that a single glance would burn his image into your mind.
This individual wasn’t releasing any kind of presence, but when Jiang Yi entered the side palace hall, he felt as though the air in the surrounding went stale. He was immobilized, and his eyes were attracted to that sharp sword-like back which looked like it could pierce the heavens.
Jiang Bieli!
Without guessing, Jiang Yi took a single look to determine this individual’s identity. There was only one man in the entire Divine Martial Kingdom with such presence, authority for the Royal Military to listen to his orders, palace maids to kneel outside, and someone who could cause Jiang Yi to feel suffocated.
The father and son finally met!
The Royal Military soldiers and the palace maids quietly dismissed themselves, but Jiang Yi didn’t notice them. His eyes had this complex expression and had a trace of stirred-up emotions. His eyes had this excitement of a son meeting his birth father, but it was filled with sorrow, anguish, and mockery more.
Jiang Yi didn’t utter a single word while his expression was unexpectedly calm. That complex expression in his eyes regained the composure—like a flat surface of the water and indifferent like ice.
“I am Jiang Bieli, the Western Garrison Liege Lord of the Divine Martial Kingdom and the Marshal of the Western Garrison Army!”
The man suddenly spoke while his body gradually turned around, looking at Jiang Yi and speaking calmly, “You are Jiang Yi, and your mother is Yi Piaopiao. In name, I should be your father, although I can understand that… you don’t wish to acknowledge me as your father. But I still have to tell you the truth.”
Jiang Yi’s expression had this trace of shock. He had imagined various scenes of him meeting Jiang Bieli, but he didn’t expect Jiang Bieli’s first statement to be this straightforward and so forthcoming.
Of course, the shock quickly vanished from Jiang Yi’s face and was replaced with indifference. He continued remaining silent and looked at Jiang Bieli with an undisturbed look.
Jiang Bieli looked at Jiang Yi before turning to look at the sky outside, revealing a trace of self-mockery on the edge of his mouth and laughing indistinctly before speaking again, “Jiang Yi, it doesn’t matter if you are going to acknowledge me as a father, or if you are going to return to Jiang Yi City to reclaim your true ancestry. I just want to tell you something. Jiang Yi City was originally Western Garrison City, and I renamed it after your mother left me. I didn’t know of your birth either, and if I had known, I wouldn’t have let you suffer for all these years. En… do you understand what I am trying to say?”
